Julia Kostsova GALLERY ON FIFTH Naples, Florida Julia Kostsova RUSSIAN TRADITIONS Exhibition dedicated to 400 anniversairy of Romanov's Dynasty Russian Traditions Russia is indeed a unique country, which, along with highly developed modern culture carefully preserves the national traditions deeply rooted not only in the Orthodox religion but also in paganism. The Russians still celebrate pagan holidays, many people believe in numerous omens and legends. Christianity gave Russians such great holidays as Easter and Christmas, and Paganism - Maslenitsa and Ivan Kupala. Old traditions are passed on from generation to generation. Easter Easter is the day of the resurrection of Christ. The holiday came to Russia from Byzantium together with Russia's christening in the end of the 10th century. Since then, this Christian holiday has been widely celebrated all over Russia. Christmas Christmas is the holiday of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, whose advent gave people hope for mercy, kindness, truth and eternal life. The Orthodox Church observes Christmas according to the Julian Calendar, on January 7, while Western churches celebrate it on December 25, in accordance with the Gregorian Calendar. Ivan Kupala Even in the time of the ancient pagan deity Ancient Russians used to have Kupalo, the God of summer fertility. In his honor people of sang songs and jumped over the bonfire. This ritual act has become an annual celebration of summer solstice, combining a pagan and Christian traditions. Kupala got the name Ivan after the baptizing of Russia, when he was replaced by John the Baptist (the way he was percepted by common people), who baptized Christ and whose birthday was celebrated on 24 June. Maslenitsa - Old Russian Tradition In the old days Maslenitsa was for remembrance of the dead. So the burning of the figure of Maslenitsa means her funeral, and blini (pancakes) - coliphia. But with time the Russians longing for fun and entertainment turned the sad holiday into jolly Maslenitsa with blini - round, yellow and hot as the sun, sledding and horse sleigh riding, fistfights and mother-in-law chatting. The rituals of Maslenitsa are very unusual and interesting because they combine the end of the winter holiday rituals and the opening of new spring festivals and ceremonies, which were to promote a rich harvest. Julia Kostsova is one of the youngest and the most gifted artist on the Russian art scene. A graduate of the famous Repin's Art Academy in Saint Petersburg, she was born in Yekaterinburg, Siberia and from very early age devoted herself to painting. Colors and shapes were always intriguing for her. The Siberian nature - majestic and powerful: vast plains, rugged mountains, untamed rivers - ever changing, illusive and eternal landscapes made powerful imprint on her mind. Later came the fascination with the movement: dance, horse riding, and wind blowing... The challenge was to capture the moment in all its immediacy and transfer it to the canvas. Julia studied rigorously, mastering all styles and media, developing her own fluid, but energetic style. The second passion for Julia was Russian traditional dance, folk songs, musical instruments, beautiful traditional holidays and rituals. Here and there, far away from capital cities these traditions survived, and were celebrated. After graduation Julia stayed in St. Petersburg, intensively traveling and exhibiting in Russia, Europe, and China. Her large, joyful, energetic paintings earned her a reputation of one of the top artist-monumentalist. Julia tirelessly researches traditional Russian costume, embroidery, ornaments, and domestic objects - employing them in her magical works. She masterfully reflects the atmosphere of traditional Russian life, relations between people and nature. Julia's paintings are well known sought for in many parts of the world; numerous public and private collections are proudly exhibiting her unforgettable masterpieces. ...When I was just a little girl, maybe ten years old, I decided to choose my future occupation. Three options appealed to me: writer, ballerina and artist. I decided to start with the first one - writer. I spent the whole day sitting with the pencil and notebook, trying to think about what to write. The plot was not shaping out; the characters were weak. At the end of the day I understood that writing wasn't as easy of a task as I thought. Next day I tried to become a ballerina. Needless to say that the story repeated itself. It became clear that painting - something that I was doing naturally and with joy - was my calling. Being an artist became my life, my journey - always exciting and challenging. The art school for children was my first step to learning the skills of the trade; then, the Yekaterinburg Art College named after I. D. Shadr. I was always a very diligent student, striving to perfect my skills and master every technique. I recall that at the time when I was defending my graduation work, I was telling the commission about what I meant to express with my work. At that very moment, I painfully realized that my artwork was not conveying the meaning that I intended. It was a bitter insight, but it encouraged me to push myself even harder, to set the standards as high as the best masters of the Russian School. I decided to move to Saint Petersburg, and enroll in the Imperial Academy of Arts. It was my long dream to live in Saint Petersburg -walk along its streets, breath its air, listen to its music. My dream came true: I was admitted to the Academy! I graduated from the workshop of S.N. Repin, and studied under Professor A.A. Mylnikov. I earned the highest grades for my diploma work "Gulliver", which received special recognition from the examination committee. Later I was honored with a membership to the Artists' Union of Russia. Currently, I am exhibiting extensively and regularly participating in competitions. I have achieved a certain level of recognition, which encourages me to strive to reach new horizons and to find my own unique style in art as well as my own view of the world. I want my art to be real; I want it to speak about beauty, poetry, and the essence of life. I believe that art should be alive, and should speak to the soul. It must fill the heart with feelings of inner harmony, reveal the best qualities in people, and give hope, faith and love. There is no limit to perfection and I will always strive to reach new heights. My art reflects my thoughts and feelings that I want to share with people... In the year 2013, the Union of Artists of Saint Petersburg organized an Exhibition dedicated to 400th anniversary of the Romanov's dynasty. The exhibition was held under the auspices of Her Majesty The Grand Dutchess Maria Vladimirovna, a descendant of the Romanov family. Julia Kostsova's painting "Royal Hunt" received the highest honor from the Russian Imperial House of Romanov and she was awarded a Presedential medal in commemoration of "The Anniversary of Heroism of Russian People: 1613-2013". Russian Hunting Traditions Russia is a true last frontier of hunting, presenting some of the most spectacular trophies nature has to offer. In ancient Russia hunting and fishing were in generally a work. But gradually the work changed into entertainment for tsars. At that time the falconry was very popular activity, this kind of hunting was popular in Russia only. History knows only few russian rulers who loved hunting with passion: Vladimir II Monomakh, Aleksey Mikhailovitsch, Petr II and Alexander II. The most successful in hunting among the Russian rulers was Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who spent the most of his 30-years reign in travelling and visiting shooting-grounds. His uncle a boyar Morozov has mentioned Tsar's love for birds. Then the boyar made Alexei Mikhailovich keen on falconry. Many Russian national character traits like bravery, courage and recklessness show themself on hunting with dogs. Hunting with Borzois was a popular pastime for the Russian aristocracy in Tsarist Russia. It became particularly widespread in the 18th and 19th centuries after the reign of Empress Anna, Peter the Second and Empress Elizabeth. The Borzois were particularly favored by the Tsar and his entourage. The dogs could not be purchased, but only given as gifts by the emperors. Generally hunting with borzois and hounds throws back in 15th century and earlier times. The painting depicts the Tzar Nikolai II hunting with Borzois. Royal Hunt, oil on canvas, 48"x 72", 2013 VLADIMIR and SUZDAL These two artistic centres in central Russia hold an important place in the country's architectural history. There are a number of magnificent 12th- and 13th-century public and religious buildings, above all the masterpieces of the Collegiate Church of St Demetrios and the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin. The ancient city of Vladimir, founded in 1108 by the Kiev Prince Vladimir Monomach, contains an important group of religious and secular monuments. The Cathedral of the Assumption (1158) was intended by Vladimir Monomach's son Andrei Bogolyubskii to be the religious centre of all Russia. It was built in the town Kremlin and is a single-domed structure constructed on six piers: the three naves are surmounted by a delicate drum and a helmet dome. It is 17.7 m wide by 22 m long and 32.3 m high overall. The facade is divided into five sections by embedded columns and is notable for its carved reliefs. The interior decoration is important in Russian art. Most of the 12th-century frescoes were destroyed by Mongols in 1238, but new mural paintings were added in 1408 by the master painters Andrei Rublev and Daniil Chernii, in particular the famous Last Judgement .